Quartzsite Cruiser

Debbie, the isolation was because while we were surrounded by neighbors, everyone was either keeping their distance from each other, or they were getting together and we didn't want to risk getting Covid. We called their get togethers Covid parties. I had to laugh about your friend Anne and the unpopular boy friend. If you look, there is always someone who has it worse than you do. Those people on CC you mentioned are the main reason I generally stay away from the other threads. Lenda

Good afternoon from Quartzsite. We had to run into town to mail a package and pick up something at the store I didn't realize I needed when we were in Yuma tomorrow. There is a years long project to work on and improve I-10 from abut the California border to Phoenix. At the rate they are working, it might be decades long. They started work in the Quartzsite area last fall and try to do most of the work at night. So far, we have not seen much progress, but most of the work has been rebuilding the shoulders. But there are times like today when they are working during the daytime, and boy was the I-10 westbound traffic a mess. The work is about two miles from the western exit to town, and the traffic is backed up for miles past the eastern exit to town. We couldn't see the end of the backup as we crossed over that part of I-10 coming home. The problem was the road closed down to one just before the work area, and people were having trouble merging. Traffic was stopped or just crawling for miles. Brenda, glad you are home safely, and thanks for sharing the gorgeous sunrise. I hope you can get some rest today and tonight. Karen, I'm sorry that someone was careless enough to expose your parents and the family to Covid. I'm doubly sorry that it was the cause of your parents' deaths two days apart. Sandi, I'm glad that Morgan will have a mattress by Thursday. She's young enough to handle not only sleeping on the floor, but getting off the floor in the morning. It is so nice of the family to offer her things for the apartment. It sounds like a lovely place to call home. Debbie, even though DH and I had each other, we were still pretty much isolated. The Daily was a life line to the outside world for me too. The added plus was making such wonderful friends, some of whom I've gotten to meet. Welcome to The Fleet Report/Daily. I think that most of us who were not following the Fleet Report when it became The Daily, were lurkers for a while. This has become a wonderful group that has developed into a family for the past few years. The best thing is we welcome all newcomers too. I didn't post for a while either until DH said there was a question I could probably answer, and as they say, the rest is history. I had been wondering after we "chatted" on the Roll Call for the Koningsdam cruise when you would join us here. We have been coming to Quartzsite since 1997, and going to Yuma shopping over the past 25 years. The traffic there certainly has gotten a lot worse, especially in the last few years. Thanks for the pictures, Bruce. The school boat is an interesting way to get the kids to school. The bridge pictures were interesting too. I don't ever remember seeing a sitting area on a bridge before. Terri, I'm glad you made it safely to Jacksonville, and were able to get the blood work done today. I'm sending positive thoughts for Anita and her doctors for a successful surgery. I hope the good memories of Eugene make his birthday easier for both of you. Lenda

@Cruzin Terri Terri, I hope the surgery for your friend goes well, and that she will gain back some of the lost weight as she recovers. @Denise T I'm glad that Fiona's blood work is better and that she will not need insulin. I hope the UTI will be a thing of the past soon. @smitty34877 Terry, I know that added expenses when some of is as ill as Tana can be a burden, but please get help, even if temporary, on the weekends when things get too rough. Tana also needs her caregivers and family to be rested and healthy. Lenda

As I mentioned, we had two turnaround days in San Pedro in 2016 went we did a 7 day Mexican Riviera cruise, a 15 day Hawaii cruise and a 10 Sea of Cortez cruise on Ruby Princess. Most of my pictures were taken from the car. We wanted to see as much as possible and still be able to head back to San Pedro before rush hour. Downtown LA and the Parker Center. The iconic Capitol Records building. Sorry about the reflection in the glass in the picture. Griffith Park We saw the observatory but I can't find any pictures of it. Warner Brothers Disney Studios The mouse is everywhere! Setting up for the Oscars Hollywood Walk of Fame Rodeo Drive We made better time than expected getting back to San Pedro, so we drove across the bridge to Long Beach. Queen Mary and the Russian Sub Long Beach skyline from the island where Queen Mary is berthed The main Street in Long Beach Lenda

As I mentioned, we have sailed into and out of San Pedro many times. Even though we have driven around San Pedro a couple of times, I don't seem to have any pictures except from various ships. These pictures were taken as we sailed on Golden Princess in 2012. Lenda

Good morning from a sunny and so far not windy Quartzsite. It was 49F when I got up and is now now 54F and heading to a high of 76F. This afternoon the wind will be about 12mph which should help the clothes dry. Yes, today is laundry day and hopefully, I can get some more of the weeds pulled up. It looks like the last round of weed killer is beginning to work, but the weeds still need to be tackled. Like most of you, I had to look up 311 day, and found the information Graham @grapau27 shared, plus information on the 311 Band. It seems more and more disinformation is being shared and believed instead of debunked. The only part of Covid-19 I'll honor is that we all still need to be careful and remember it is still out there. The Meister Eckhart quote is a good one. We'll skip the meal since DH is not a fan of lamb. I think one of the dishes we had in Morocco on a couple of tours was lamb stew, and it was very good. We'll also pass on the meal and the drink. We have sailed from and to San Pedro several times, and on a couple of turnaround days on Ruby Princess in 2016 we bailed the car out of the parking lot and drove into LA. We really didn't have too much time to look around because we left the ship after rush hour and tried to get out of LA before rush hour. In 2020 when Covid was declared a pandemic, it certainly changed the world and how we do things now. I remember watching Charles Van Doren on "Twenty-One" and his "remarkable" winning streak. It was a shock to learn that the show had been rigged. @kazu Jacqui, I hope the pain in your legs subsides soon. Great memes today, especially the one about child proof bottles. @Denise T Denise, I hope you can get Fiona into see the vet today, and that he can help her feel better. @grapau27 Thank you for the explanations of two of the days. @smitty34877 Terry, I hope the filming does not cause too much chaos on your street. @aliaschief Thanks for the pictures from your tour. @0106 Tina, I'm glad they are reminding people to not hog the loungers. Sadly, that has been the rule as long as we've been sailing HAL, but it's not enforced. @cat shepard Ann, I hope your sister can be moved to Encompass asap. We were lucky that when DH was ready to go to rehab the hospital kept him an extra day until Encompass had a bed available. I can't believe your sister and her roommate did not get dinner, and all a nurse could find was cheese, crackers and Ensure. Thank goodness for that nurse so they at least got something. @ger_77 Gerry, I hope your DH's CT scan goes well and that it gives the doctors some needed answers. I'm glad your DS, his fiancé, her family and their friends were all safe, but what a horrible loss of life from the Tsunami. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, I'm glad that your DGD is moving today, and that she is getting help from her father. Could she get an air mattress until she can get a real one? I'm also glad she has a new therapist that she is comfortable with. @Cruzin Terri Terri, safe travels to and from Jacksonville. I hope the appointments go well. Lenda

@dfish Debbie, please wish Sue a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY from both of us. We were so glad to get to meet and visit with both of you on Koningsdam. Lenda

Well said, Maureen. Annie

A late good afternoon from Quartzsite. It was basically a fast trip to Yuma and Algodones, but because we had more stops that normal, we were gone a little more than seven hours. We've about decided that Sunday isn't the day to to down there. All the stores and roads in Yuma were crowded. We made it into Algodones and out very quickly and with only a short line to go through Customs. I think later, the line would have been a lot longer since the town was more crowded than it was in December. While you can drive into Algodones, parking is a problem, and there is always a long line of cars to get back across the border. The local Native American tribe has a huge parking lot just outside the gate to Mexico, and the price is reasonable. The good news is we got just about everything on the list, but some of the things I was doubtful we'd find. Everything is put away, and I've caught up on the Daily. Joy, I was sorry to read that Allen's numbers were not good on his recent blood tests. I hope the doctor will have some solutions soon. I'm glad the neck pain is better. Terri, thanks for checking in. I hope the coming week is a better week. Take care of yourself. Vanessa, I'm sorry you are still congested, and I hope tomorrow is a better day. Our atomic clocks do change the time, but in Arizona that is not good. To get the correct time during Daylight Savings time, we have to set the clocks to Pacific. Our smoke detectors here are hard wired and have a battery backup. We're pretty sure the batteries are dead since they were last changed in 2021. However, the smoke detectors still work. The one in between the livingroom and the kitchen is very sensitive, and just the least heat from a very hot oven, or just a hit of a smell will set it off, which happens more than we'd like. To make matters worse, the three smoke detectors are wired together, so if one goes off, the other tow chime in. Terry, I hope the production crew will remember what you said about needing access to your house. If not, you might need to contact the city or EMS to get them to understand. Thank you, Graham. I hope all is going well for all of you today. I'll add my hopes that maybe this will be a wake-up call for Pauline's sister. That is interesting about how the keep the non career soldiers occupied. I remember our escorts between Alexandria and Cairo. Thank you. Roy, the reflection in the door is almost prettier than the actual sunset. Thanks for sharing it with us. Carolyn, thank you for sharing this. It is always nice when they honor crew members in front of the passengers. We have a GE side-by-side refrigerator here and a GE French door model with the drawer freezer on the bottom in Texas. With the exception of a couple of minor repairs which DH could do, we have not had any problems. But, then we could have been lucky in what we have. Lenda

I found a few more pictures from our day in Cairo. The Cairo Museum The Great Pyramid Inside the Pyramid where DH made it to the bottom. The stairs going up DH exiting the pyramid This picture was taken at the Sphinx, just looking across the street. The Sphinx and the Pyramids are surrounded by town now. Lenda

In 2003, we were in Alexandra and Cairo on what everyone called the Mystery Cruise. It was on the old Regal Princess from Bangkok to Rome in April. Because of SARS and the invasion of Iraq, we we missed seven or our thirteen scheduled ports. losing one or two at a time. So we never knew where we would be next. We did get "safer" ports substituted for the missed ones. The ship had so many people cancel, almost everyone had a balcony. One deck was completely closed and all the inside rooms were empty. However, it is one of the cruises that will always stand out in our memories. I do not have any pictures from the bus as we drove through Alexandria, but I remember it looking fairy nice. We also took a ship's tour and had armed guards in pickups leading the bus and following it. We changed guards at the halfway point to Cairo. Our first stop was the museum followed by lunch. We then headed to the obligatory shopping stop, which must be the same one others visited since also have a picture of the pyramids behind the bushes/trees. Then we went to the pyramids. DH and I started down into the one that was open, but I turned back part way down. DH made it to the bottom. Our final stop was the Sphinx, which for me was one of those AHA moments. It was surprising to turn around and see KFC across the street. We were allowed to take non-flash pictures in the museum, but most of them either have my reflection in them, or a lot of people on the other side of the glass cases. However, I did find a couple of decent ones even if there are strange people included. Lenda

Good morning from a clear and so far not windy Quartzsite. It was 44F when I got up, and it will be 78F this afternoon. We are heading to Yuma and Algodones today, and it will be 89F there this afternoon, but we should be home before then. Surprisingly, I'm not sore today after all the work yesterday. We have plenty of batteries, and like @Nickelpenny said, we did not switch to Daylight Savings time overnight. However, our "atomic" clocks and phones did. I'll change the settings on the phone, and switch the clocks to the Pacific time zone. Frankly, I wish we'd get rid of Daylight Savings time. We will have to change the clocks in Texas when we get back, since we left after we went back on standard time last fall. I hope all those who celebrate Ramadan have a thoughtful and meaningful month. The Marcus Tullius Cicero quote is true for me. We'll pass on the meal, the drink and the wine. I'll gladly take a frozen strawberry daiquiri in place of the banana daiquiri. We stopped in Alexandria in 2003 on the old Regal Princess "mystery cruise". It was one of the substitute ports, but that was for operational reasons. We saw a little of Alexandria on the way to and from Cairo. The 1920 home rule act dividing Ireland was good for Ireland, but not so good for Northern Ireland, IMHO. @rafinmd Roy, thank you for stepping up and filling in for Jacqui @kazu. As others have mentioned, there is always someone who will step in and help when one of us is feeling unwell or on a cruise, etc. @kazu Jacqui, I hope you are feeling much better today. @Heartgrove Jack, it was good to read that Sam is still doing so well. @AroundWithMAPTravels Thanks for the wonderful meme. @ger_77 Gerry, enjoy your warmer weather. Lenda

A late good afternoon from a warm Quartzsite. After about six hours, the area outside the fence looks a lot better. It took at least two passes with the hula ho to get most of the weeds up, but there are still some that are in the ground, now, you can see the rocks, and not a lot of green, and the rocks have been raked. Now, I just have to do the rest of the lot inside the fence. That will take at least two days if not more. Then there will be another round of ground clear sprayed before we leave for the summer. I think I will be sore tomorrow, but I wasn't planning yard work anyway. We will be heading to Algodones and Yuma for one last shopping trip. Great picture of Haleakala, Brenda. Safe travels tomorrow. Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa above the clouds looking across from Haleakala in 2016. I was going to suggest that you take the recipe to a bar to see if they can make the drink, but Debbie @dfish beat me to it. DH showed Julius, one of our favorite bar servers, the recipe for one of the drink of the day. Julius asked the bartender if he could make it, but they lacked one of the ingredients. Susan, I had noticed that the carpaccio was missing from the new Canaletto menu before we sailed, but surprised that it was on the new menu when we went to Canaletto. It was still as good as ever. Steak tartare is still on the Pinnacle menu. Steve is doing better. He is walking better, and only using the walker occasionally when we are out, and on the ship which makes walking easier in rough seas. Other times when we go out he will bring his cane, but doesn't need either around the house. There are some days that are better than others, but that is to be expected. His memory is better, but I think some of what was lost will not come back. When we are back in Texas, we're going to get an appointment to see if the stent needs a slight adjustment. It has not been quite six months since the stent was placed, so while progress is slow, things area much better. Bruce, they seem to be treating very fairly. I'm glad they are looking at tour options. Graham, I'm glad Sarah has you and Pauline to lean on during this difficult time, and that she is staying with friends tonight. I hope the good memories of Phil out weigh the memories of the last nine years, and will bring all of you some comfort. Now, it is time for a shower and a glass or two of wine, today for medicinal purposes, to ease the soreness. 😉 Lenda

Ann, I'm sorry that the hospital won't let your sister stay until she can get a bed in the chosen facility. Could she be moved to the chosen one when a bed is available? She probably won't start therapy until Monday anyway. Susan, it's on the menu in Canaletto, and they also had it in the MDR the last night of our cruise last month. Both did a good job, and it was very good. I've read of someone getting it in the Pinnacle at dinner since it's on their lunch menu. Lenda Lenda

It's time I stopped procrastinating and headed out to do battle with the weeds. The sun will make it comfortable, but the wind has picked up. Still the forecast is better today and Monday, which is the next chance I have to work outside. Vanessa, I'm glad you are doing better and getting some sleep. I hope your chairs are back by Easter. Thanks for the pictures of Reunion Island. I can relate to going through things since I've been doing that for the past 3 2/3 years. Still have a long way to go. Jacqui, it wasn't that hard to figure out since I've heard the saying all my life. Thanks for the great pictures of today's port. I hope we'll get there someday. Thanks for the picture and the map. Lenda

Good morning from another sunny day in Quartzsite. It is currently 44F heading to a high of 73F this afternoon. With the sun and winds of 6 to 8mph, it should be a nice afternoon. Once it warms up some, I'm going to try to get as many weeds up as possible since the ground clear and Roundup have not phased them. Three interesting days to celebrate, but I'll not be honoring fanny pack day. I have always preferred a shoulder or cross body bag to a fanny pack or in Graham's @grapau27 case a bum bag. I've been looking into my genealogy the past few years. Some branches can't be traced back too far, but some I traced to the late 1400s and early 1500s. A good quote from Emile Zola, but I am definitely not an artist. We'll pass on the meal and the drink. The wine would be nice, but a bit more than we usually pay for a bottle. I guess I'll stick with my cardbordeaux. We have not been to Reunion Island. It was a substitute port on a 2004 cruise we canceled when the two main ports we wanted to visit were dropped from the itinerary. There are three good days in history to honor. @MISTER 67 I'm glad you are now settled in your new house. Sorry about the two double bogeys. @Haljo1935 I hope the EMG gives you some answers. @StLouisCruisers Sandi, thank you for letting us know about Sarah's dad passing. @kazu Jacqui, I'm glad it was nice enough for you and Ivan to get in a walk yesterday. @marshhawk Annie, I'm glad the expensive prescription was for 90 days not 30. @cunnorl Charlene, I'm glad the hip is doing better today. Congratulations to your nephew on winning the tournament. And congratulations on making 8 out of 9 putts. @smitty34877 Terry, watching the filming of a TV show is interesting. It's a lot of hurry up and wait. We watched a scene being filmed for an episode of the Murdoch Mysteries, a Canadian series, when we were in Dawson City, Yukon, once. @dfish Congratulations on winning two Farkel games, Debbie. @cat shepard Ann, the answer to your question on yesterday's Daily is yes. Lenda

@grapau27 Graham, our condolences to you, Pauline, especially Sarah, and the rest of the family on the passing of Sarah's dad. No matter the circumstances, it's never easy when a parent dies. Lenda

Yes

Ann, that is good news. The place sounds like the place in Waco where DH was after his back surgery. I googled rehab places in St. Agustine, and they have a rehab hospital there. If it is the same company, then I know you'll be pleased. Lenda

Debbie, we've know for many years that the biggest expense for drug companies is advertising. The only other country in the world that allows such advertising is New Zealand. So we don't believe the drug companies when they say we have to recover the research and development costs. In other words, they are drug dealers with a "legal license". Thanks for explanation of be nasty day. In those cases where women need to stand up for what is right, then, I'll be "nasty" too. Lenda

Vanessa, I'm sorry you are still congested, but glad you got some sleep. I hope you feel well enough to see your friends tomorrow. Ann, I'm sorry the eye doctor appointment didn't go too well yesterday. I'm glad you can put off cataract surgery for a bit longer, and I hope the eye vitamins can delay the macular degeneration. Brenda, thanks for the fish pictures. I love to snorkel, but it's been way too long since we've done any snorkeling. I miss seeing all the colorful fish. Lenda

@marshhawk Annie, please email at mscrystal70 at gmail.com Lenda

Sandi, SingleCare does have a coupon for Januvia, and I've used SingleCare at Walgreens. Annie should be able to get her prescription there without any problem, except getting it transferred if she doesn't use Walgreens. Lenda

@marshhawk Annie, another site that is similar to GoodRX is SingleCare.com. DH looked up your drug and with SingleCare it is under $400 at most pharmacies. We've used SingleCare recently when it was quite a bit lower than Good RX. DH also looked up the drug in Mexico, and it's about $56.79 for a 30 day supply. Lenda

Paul, I check Annie's @marshhawk prescription price on GoodRx, and even with their discount, it was almost $600. Sometimes lately, I've found GoodRX to not be that good. there are other discount programs, but right now I can't remember what they are. Lenda